No charges for Richland deputy who killed man said to be in mental health crisis
No charges will be filed against the Richland County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a 34-year-old man who was said to be having a mental health crisis when deputies encountered him in March. Another deputy involved in the incident also will not be charged.
On March 19, Irvin Moorer Charley was shot and killed by Richland County Deputy Zachary Hentz, who had responded to a 911 call about an ongoing assault on Heyward Brockington Road. Law enforcement officials have said Moorer Charley was wielding a long piece of wood. Black community leaders have said the man was in the midst of a mental health crisis when he was killed.
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson said in a statement Tuesday that after investigating the fatal shooting, his office would not bring criminal charges against Hentz and fellow deputy John Anderson.
“The facts of the present case support a finding that the use of force was applied in good faith based upon the perceptions of a reasonably trained officer and the objectively reasonable facts the officer had at the time of the incident,” Gipson wrote in a statement dated June 14.
Gipson’s office reviewed investigative reports from the incident, statements from Hentz and Anderson, 911 dispatch reports, body camera video, dashcam video, forensic reports and two third-party reviews of the incident, he said.
“I find that Deputy Hentz acted in accordance with all applicable State and Federal laws,” Gipson wrote in his statement. “I further find that the officer’s use of force was reasonably necessary in light of all circumstances gleaned from the investigation.”
Gipson said he believed Hentz’s actions were “necessary to protect himself, Mr. Charley’s family members, and any potential innocent bystanders in the area.”
Gipson also said there was “no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing by Deputy Anderson.” It is not clear what role Anderson played in the events surrounding Moorer Charley’s death. There were multiple law enforcement officers on the scene that day.
The case was initially investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
A local activist group, the South Carolina Black Activist Coalition, has previously said that deputies shot Moorer Charley 10 times. After the killing, Moorer Charley’s family members called for an “independent investigation of this shooting by a third party” outside of the sheriff’s department.
The sheriff’s department said at the time that it is qualified to investigate shootings involving its deputies. The department also said its investigation would be reviewed by the FBI and others.
